Indonesia
What I love about Ubud, Bali when it comes to food is, that you have a million options to choose from: local warungs, food market, street stalls, trendy hipster restaurants and fancy dining places. Where to eat in Ubud was never that difficult! It is a real paradise foor foodies and that is why I wrote this Ubud food blog, to get you a little guide where to get the best bites in town.
Ubud accommodation with a private pool? The best resorts in Ubud? Luxury hotels in Ubud? Best places to stay on a budget? Yes I know them all! But answering the same question over and over made me realize I should compile a list of places in a where to stay in Ubud blog.
Planning your trip to Indonesia and trying to avoid high roaming costs? Getting a local prepaid sim card in Indonesia is the best way to stay connected. Don't let those slow overseas data roaming packages fool you. They reduce the internet speed! In this guide I tell you where to buy a sim card for Indonesia, the best 4G/5G network, up to date prices as per July 2022, my recommendation and even information about international and e-sim cards for Indonesia.
Lately it was the Indonesian Tourism Board who took me away from the islands around Bali and showed me more of what Indonesia has to offer. I felt like I was exploring a different country as the Trip of Wonders showed me parts of North Sumatra, Central Java and a region in Central Sulawesi: Tana Toraja.
My trip with Indonesia Tourism Board had come to an end but I was not leaving Bali yet. I still had a week left on my visa and decided to go on a Nort Bali adventure before I had to catch my flight to Amsterdam to see my friends and family after a long time. Although I have resided multiple times in Bali over the next year I did not go up North for almost 7 years now. Once up North I started questioning myself why did I stay away from these amazing things to do in North Bali for so long!?
If you are going on a trip to Bali and you want a slice of real island life then please visit Nusa Penida. In this blog post I tell you everything you need to know when you travel to Nusa Penida and while reading and looking at the pictures you will understand why this was one of the best places to visit in Bali. All the highlights, amazing places to see, things to do, where to stay, instagram spots and even Nusa Penida itineraries will be be discussed. Also if you decided to do a Nusa Penida day trip (not recommended) I can give you some tips. Enjoy this fabulous island before mass tourism takes over!
We were already half way through our Trip of Wonders Culture Trip and were about to board flight number 6 from Makassar in South Sulawesi to Palopo in central Sulawesi. We spent the night at the airport hotel and had to be presentable at 7.00 am that morning because we were getting up close and personal with the walking dead of Toraja. After our adventures in Java and Sumatra I was really looking forward visiting the central highlands of Sulawesi and its ethnic groups.
Recently I spent about two months in and around Bali and stumbled upon an surprisingly quiet oasis called The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah. I have been visiting Ubud many times, but never heard about this resort before, but I am happy I got invited to stay at this beautiful place lately as part of my 'honeymoon in Bali'.
A couple weeks ago in my blog Celebrating In Bali I already announced that I was selected as one of the travel bloggers to join the Trip Of Wonders 2017 with the Indonesian Tourism Board. Time had come to travel to Jakarta to meet up with all the bloggers and start our trip around the country.
For many people Bali is the ultimate destination to celebrate their honeymoon. But as I have been here now 6 times I don’t think I will come back here on my honeymoon. Not to mention that I actually don’t even want to get married anyway! :) Not? Nope I think it is overrated, but that is why I am now creating my own honeymoon trips to at least get the feel.
It took me 6 visits to Bali to finally make a trip to the islands just off the Southwest coast. Where most people go on day trips I wanted to make the most of it and take my time to explore Nusa Penida myself. I knew the island was an Instagramable spot but somehow it took a little convincing to get me on a boat and my ass to the island.
In my last weeks blog I already revealed I had some amazing news to tell you and now I can finally announce it. I had to keep it a little secret at first, but the other week I got what I was hoping for and I am happy to share it with you… #humblebrag
Are you ready to push your limits and go on an epic adventure on your holiday? I love islandlife: walking around in flipflops and board shorts but the memories that stick to me the most are the ones from the mountains! I added another epic experience to my long list as lately I have been climbing Mount Rinjani in Lombok, one of the highest peaks in Indonesia.
For those who have read some of my blogs about Bali already know that this island and I have not always been best friends. My first time on the Holy Island it rained a lot, yes I chose to come in the rainy season, I got really sick and I stayed in an overpriced hotel in the middle of an overcrowded area in Seminyak. But times have changed…
The most asked question after my last weeks blog Lombok & Gili Trawangan was: ‘Where is the magic mushroom story?’ I knew it was going to be a hot topic, and as my Live video got more than 5,000 views in just 1 days I could have figured out people would ask about it. So here it is… but before my mushroom trip I went on a far more adventurous trip up to one of the highest peaks in Indonesia: climbing Mount Rinjani.
The last couple months I got more and more signs that people wanted to read more about my adventures and with the overwhelming number of people that read about my horrortrip from Sydney to Tel Aviv I decided to start a weekly blog. I know it is pretty ambitious, as I now force myself to write a little story every week to keep you entertained. Though it should be pretty easy as I constantly run into cool adventures, live in paradise, meet awesome people or end up in weird situations around the world anyway!
While searching for a holiday destination money is for mostly everyone always an issue. Of course you are willing to spend a little extra because yes it is your holiday, but when you travel there are more things you have to think about. Travelling is not like a holiday I have explained that many times in other articles. When travelling you are always looking to find the right balance between comfort and price and that is exactly one of the reasons why Asia is so popular for travellers: the value for money is the best in the world! Bali on a budget does not mean you stay in shabby places or eat crappy food at all! Go for it, you will be fine!
I used to say that I had a love hate relationship with this Indonesian island, but things changed: I am totally in love with this little green paradise! Due to its popularity the island went through massive changes the last years. The first time I decided to visit Bali was in 2010 and back then it was not at all a favourite: I got sick, it rained all the time and traffic was horrendous!
With so many tourists visiting this tiny island, Bali is notorious for its traffic. This was one of the reasons I seriously did not like it when I first visited and that was back in 2010. The traffic back then was horrendous. Trust me it got even worse over the years, but I do love the island nowadays. How is that possible? Just avoid the overcrowded touristy areas like Seminyak and Kuta and you will find some truly magical places this island has to offer.
Ubud is one of my favourite destinations in Bali so it was no surprise that I lately ended up here again. This time I wanted to stay a little longer and I searched for a house for rent in Ubud. It depends of course how picky you are, but don’t picture yourself coming into town in the early morning and the same evening you are chilling in your private villa in Ubud. It is all a little more complicated and remember you are in Indonesia; everything takes a little more time here!
Travelling is not only about the destination; the journey is sometimes just as incredible! This famous quote was definitely applicable to my trip to Raja Ampat. If you have read my blog Sailing through the Raja Ampat Islands with Mutiara Laut you know how I ended up on this amazing luxury sailing ship and that I had the time of my life.
Lately I stayed in a fairly new resort just a little North of Ubud center. I knew Blue Karma Ubud through social media and already sent some friends over there before I even tried it out myself. From what I could see on the pictures it was a really cute green resort with private villas surrounded by jungle and rice fields and isn’t that exactly what you are looking for when spending your holiday in Ubud? In the beginning of November I checked in for 3 nights to experience the resort myself.
Everyone has that one trip in his mind that he dreams of taking once in his life. Some will never even turn their dreams into reality, but when it comes down to travelling there is always a way to make it happen. Sailing the Raja Ampat islands of West Papua was one of those trips for me where I kept on saying some day. That day lately became reality as I set sail with the Mutiara Laut to explore my number one destination on my bucketlist.
When looking for things to do in Bali I am sure you put Ubud on top of your list. This village just an hour drive North from the popular beaches in the South is perched in and between rice fields and is where you will find the authentic Bali feeling. Ubud is a popular spot for travelers that want to get a slice of the real Bali. It is the artistic and cultural center of Bali, but over the years drew the attention of nomads and spiritual people as well.
A lovely luxurious retreat in Balinese style: Tugu Hotel Bali is not your standard resort, it is a very authentic and artistic place. Sleeping in Tugu Hotel Bali is like sleeping in a museum. This is my review of the best place in hip and popular Canggu, Bali.
What to do in Canggu? An easy question to answer: eat, relax, beach, surf, enjoy, repeat! With so many cool places around you are spoiled for choice so I made a list of Canggu things to do and where to go eat.